Focus Groups
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Report Sydney cycling research: focus groups prepared for City Of Sydney by Environmetrics February 2007 Client contact: Michelle Loosley Environmetrics contact: Pete Wilson Ref: 2357 Environmetrics Pty Limited. ABN 61 003 546 192 Locked Bag 2116 North Sydney 2059. T 02 9954 0455 F 02 9954 9046 [email protected] Contents Introduction 3 Research Aims 4 Methodology 5 Executive summary 9 Recommendations 11 Focus groups summaries 13 Detailed summaries 14 1. Semi-regular cyclists 14 2. Potential cyclists (Sydney LGA) 19 3. Potential cyclists (young females) 24 Reactions to infrastructure visuals 29 Appendix 33 2357 City Of Sydney Cycling Strategy Research: focus groups 2 Introduction City of Sydney is a capital city council, responsible for the commercial, financial and cultural hub of the greater Sydney area. This encompasses a community of 160,000 residents, 350,000 workers and more than 450,000 daily visitors. The City aims to meet local residents’ needs whilst advancing Sydney’s global position as Australia’s premier city, through the implementation of a range of services, programs and initiatives directed at residents, businesses and visitors. Cycle Strategy City of Sydney has recently developed its ten-year cycle strategy, which is being publicly exhibited until end September. All public submissions will then be considered by Council, before the final strategy is launched in November. The strategy provides overall direction and aims to achieve greater participation in cycling and has two parts; an infrastructure plan (to create a network of cycle routes, develop cycle signage and incorporating safety features such as traffic calming schemes) and a social initiatives plan to promote wider community awareness of the benefits of cycling and to encourage participation. The cycle strategy has the following aims: • To increase the proportion of trips made by bicycle in Sydney • To create and maintain a comfortable and bicycle friendly environment in Sydney • To promote the benefits of cycling, and • To improve cycle safety Its targets are to: • Increase the number of bicycle trips made in Sydney, as a percentage of total trips, from 2% in 2006 to 5% in 2011 to 10% by 2016 • To measure the proportion of Sydney cyclists who feel comfortable and confident when they are cycling in the city and ensure that it is 80% or higher by 2016 To measure and monitor the number of collisions and injuries involving bicycles and reduce the number of reported incidents. 2357 City Of Sydney Cycling Strategy Research: focus groups 3 Research Aims The overall objective of the research is to provide information to inform the delivery of the social initiatives within the cycle strategy. This involves: • identifying target audiences (and helping to prioritise them), • recommending broad strategies to raise awareness of the benefits of cycling and to increase the likelihood of target audiences cycling and; • helping to test and prioritise ideas within the social initiatives plan. It will also form a benchmark for further research to be undertaken over the ten-year lifetime of the cycle strategy. The City Of Sydney commissioned Environmetrics to undertake a research methodology to address these objectives. 2357 City Of Sydney Cycling Strategy Research: focus groups 4 Methodology A two-pronged research program was devised. 1. An internet survey to establish the size and shape of various cycling segments, their current riding behaviour, barriers to riding and likely initiatives to encourage more riding in and around the City 2. Focus group testing amongst key segments to test possible social initiatives in more depth This report outlines the findings, analyses and recommendations from the focus group phase. A separate report was produced detailing the results from the internet survey. 2357 City Of Sydney Cycling Strategy Research: focus groups 5 Focus groups Using the cycling behaviour and profile data from the internet survey, three key segments were identified for the focus groups. Group Gender Age Residence Cycling behaviour 1 Semi-regular Mixed 25-40 years 5km-10km Own a bike and cycle at least cyclists from CBD twice a week. May cycle to work or shopping or for fitness 2 Potential Mixed 25-40 years Within May own a bike that they don’t cyclists Sydney LGA ride very often (i.e. less than once (Sydney LGA) a month) or may be interested in getting a bike in the future (to use 3 Potential Female 21-35 years 5km or more for riding to work/fitness/around cyclists from CBD (females under the local area etc.) 35) Participants were selected from large databases of people who have agreed to take part in focus group research. The criteria above were used for selection. Each group comprised 7 people and lasted around one and half hours. The groups were held on Jan 30, Jan 31 and Feb 1 in the evening at the City of Sydney. 2357 City Of Sydney Cycling Strategy Research: focus groups 6 A discussion guide was developed to cover the topics of discussion for each segment. Broadly, the topics covered: • Current lifestyle behaviours – work, leisure, shopping, fitness etc. • Cycling history • Current cycling behaviour – frequency, reasons for, where they cycle • Perceived benefits of cycling • Main barriers to cycling more often and in different areas • Reaction to current cycling infrastructure (visual examples shown) • Sources they go to for information, media consumption. See Appendix for a full copy of the discussion guides. 2357 City Of Sydney Cycling Strategy Research: focus groups 7 A note to the reader In preparing this report we have presented and interpreted information that we believed relevant for completing the agreed task in a professional manner. It is important you understand that while we have sought to ensure the accuracy of all the information incorporated into this report, data derived from focus groups are estimates and should be regarded as such. Where we have made assumptions as a part of interpreting the data incorporated in this report, we have sought to make those assumptions clear. Similarly, we have sought to make clear where we are expressing our professional opinion rather than reporting empirical data. Please ensure that you take these assumptions into account when using our report as the basis for your decision-making. We are more than happy to discuss the analysis and recommendations with you and would be willing to incorporate any of your own knowledge and observations into the report. 2357 City Of Sydney Cycling Strategy Research: focus groups 8 Executive summary • The segments selected for this qualitative research all exhibited a propensity to cycle more in the future given the right infrastructure, education and awareness raising strategies – whether it be to cycle more regularly than they currently do or to convert the interest they have in cycling to actual behaviour change. • Currently, the major barrier for these segments is the perception that, expect for a few exceptions, Sydney is not a very bike-friendly city. Road design, perceived lack of cycling infrastructure and a relatively under-developed cycling culture in the City has led to this perception. So too has cycling accidents (whether to them personally or to people they know) and the aggressive nature of Sydney’s drivers (car and bus). • All the segments see cycling as an excellent and practical way to keep fit. Their primary motivator for cycling more would be fitness and recreation, followed by cost and time saving. Environmental benefits, while acknowledged by most participants, were usually secondary to the more individual benefits of cycling. • Most of the focus groups participants reported a lack of awareness about current cycling routes and infrastructure in and around the City. When shown visuals of current cycling infrastructure most were surprised it was there. This is an important point, given that most of the participants lived in or close to the City or visited it reasonably regularly. The visibility of cycling infrastructure is as an important as the actual amount and quality of cycling infrastructure. This has implications for the design, ‘branding’ and signage of cycling infrastructure (e.g. the green contraflow lanes were well liked by most participants because they sent out a clear message that the road caters for cyclists.). • Knowledge of safe cycling routes into and across the City was also low – leading many participants to keep to their own patch when it came to cycling. There was an articulated demand for easily accessible maps of cycling routes (with a website the most commonly suggested source for this information). These routes did not necessarily have to comprise 100% cycling infrastructure, but rather, needed to be identified as safer than the main vehicular thoroughfares. • Of the infrastructure examples shown to the participants, obviously those paths the furthest away from traffic and pedestrians were the 2357 City Of Sydney Cycling Strategy Research: focus groups 9 most favoured (e.g. wide shared paths such as Prince Alfred Park, shared lanes on Anzac Parade). Contraflows were also generally well liked and considered a safer option than riding with the traffic. Shoulder lanes were of the most concern because of the danger of opening car doors. Bus lanes and bus drivers were the most feared. 2357 City Of Sydney Cycling Strategy Research: focus groups 10 Recommendations As reported, there were many common attitudes and perceptions across the different segments researched. In terms of future strategies for the City Of Sydney, we see the following areas as vital to increasing cycling participation amongst these key segments. Information The ‘entry/re-entry’ into cycling for potential cyclists or the increase in cycling trips for current cyclists is dependent on easily accessible information sources. The internet is the most logical place for this, with the site host less important than the actual content. It doesn’t really matter whether the City Of Sydney, the RTA or an independent body (e.g.